A pending agreement with state officials may make water quality testing a requirement for obtaining drilling permits in El Paso county.
KRCC’s Eliza Densmore reports.
The agreement is between El Paso County Commissioners and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission or COGCC. The COGCC is the state organization responsible for overseeing the management of oil and gas resources.
Under the agreement, water quality testing will be required before drilling, after exploration, and several years later to monitor impact on nearby wells.
The county adopted strict regulations for water testing in January but loosened them after the threat of a lawsuit from the state attorney general’s office. That’s according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
The COGCC is expected to approve the agreement on November 15th. It has already been approved by El Paso County Commissioners.
